What I DO do

Received a link to a New York Times article yesterday that touched on the apparent tenancy towards fraud among asylum applicants in the United States. The article lacked depth in my opinion, but was a fairly interesting read nonetheless. Reading the article reminded me of how much my family and friends back home have struggled (and often times given up on trying) to understand my role in Africa. Most know that I work with refugees, but why, where and how I assist them is generally misunderstood, if not unknown. This blog is intended to provide some clarification <wink to my brother>

First off, let me say that I do not "hand out blankets." I am a humanitarian aid worker, but my work focuses on a more long-term solution to forced migration - refugee resettlement. I am not the sort of humanitarian aid worker that focuses on short-term fixes to forced migration flows. Just as I do not hand out blankets, I do not help with water, shelter and food provision to newly displaced forced migrants. I am therefore not involved in the enormous emergency aid effort currently ongoing in Dadaab, Kenya for newly arrived, Somali displacees (see footnote (1)).

Secondly, let me clarify that I do not work for the US Government, IOM or the United Nations (UNHCR inclusive). I have heard rumors that I work for all of these! Rather, I work for an American NGO called Church World Service (CWS). A number of years ago, CWS won a contractual bid to be the US Department of State-funded organization to process refugee resettlement applications from Sub-Saharan Africa. The contractual bid we won gives the Nairobi office the much sought after title of “Refugee Support Center - Africa” (RSC). There are 8 RSCs worldwide located in Nairobi, Kenya; Amman, Jordan; Havana, Spain; Damak, Nepal; Istanbul, Turkey; Moscow, Russia; Bangkok, Thailand; and Vienna. Austria. 

Each of these RSCs are run by an NGO or intergovernmental organization. Each organization must compete to keep their contract with the US Government every 3 years. The last bid  for the Nairobi RSC was held last year; obviously our organization won the contract. I am  not sure of which organizations hold the contracts for the other RSCs, except that the RSC in Bangkok is currently held by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The IRC “stole” the RSC contract from IOM in 2009 during the time I was a graduate fellow at the IOM-Bangkok office.

As mentioned above, each of the RSCs are funded by the US Department of State, Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). In addition to receiving our funds and directives from PRM, RSC-Nairobi also works with (not for!):

- the US Dpt of Homeland Security, US Citizen & Immigration Services (CIS);

- the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);

- the International Organization for Migration (IOM);

- the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS); and

- Refuge Point

Refugee children

As I mentioned earlier, our RSC in Africa is run by Church World Service. Please don't be misled by the word, CHURCH, however. I'm only vaguely familiar with CWS's work in the US, but in Africa, our mission has absolutely nothing to do with proselytism or Christian-influenced charity. Our focus is solely on processing refugees living in East, Central and Southern Africa who wish to resettle to the USA. To facilitate this process we are about 300 strong. We receive application referrals from UNHCR, HIAS, Refugee Point and the US Embassy. Once initial prep and screening is complete, selected members of the RSC Field Team (approx 60 members) are sent out to the field to interview the refugee applicants in person. I am a Field Team Caseworker and have so far been sent to the field in Dadaab (Kenya), Kakuma (Kenya), Nairobi (Kenya), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Dire Dawa (Ethiopia), Kampala (Uganda), Mbarara (Uganda), Kibuye (Rwanda), and Yaounde (Cameroon). My next trip will be to Sudan providing the Sudanese like me enough to give this humble American a visa. :p

Conditions in the field vary from living in the middle of the sandy desert sands of Kakuma and Dadaab, to refugee camps, to modern (in the African sense that is) metropolises like Kampala and Nairobi. Regardless of the location, security is always one of our top priorities. We always have several security guards nearby; refugees have to go through security checkpoints in order to gain contact with us. Even in places like Dadaab where al Shabaab is a real threat outside the UN Compound walls, I have honestly never felt that my safety was in danger. I am a little nervous about going to Sudan next month as the country observes Sharia law, but I am confident that UNHCR, IOM, as well as my organization’s own security precautions will be sufficient enough to keep me safe. Plus I am scheduled to go with 3 burly men (2 Kenyans, 1 American) so wherever I go I will also be accompanied by the requisite male escort. :p

Refugee women

The interviews I conduct with the refugees are generally focused on why the individual had to flee his/her country, what his/her life has been like in his/her country of asylum and why he/she cannot return now to his/her country of origin. The information and stories the refugees tell me are held strictly confidential and are only shared with those organizations that are directly involved in facilitating the refugee’s resettlement to the US. In other words, I am afraid I can't share any of their stories on this blog. I can however tell you that many of the stories I hear are absolutely heart-breaking – torture, rape, genocide, sex slavery, child trafficking, child soldiering, you name it, I’ve heard it. The refugees often break down at some point during the interview; it is a heart-wrenching experience no matter how many interviews I conduct. At the same time though, it is immensely fulfilling and relieving to know that I am actually a part of a durable solution to their plight.

Refugee women

That’s it from me for now. As always, feel free to let me know if there is a topic of particular interest to you that you’d like to read about on my blog.  La la salama (“good night” in Swahili). Will post again soon.

Disclaimer:  
The opinions expressed in this blog are not in any way representative of those held by RSC-Nairobi or CWS. The pictures I used to liven up this entry are not of refugees interviewed by RSC, but are rather random pics found by google searching "refugee, Africa." :p

   

Foot notes:

(1) Dadaab, already the largest refugee camp in the world is now experiencing an unfathomable influx of Somali displacees fleeing drought and conflict in their home country. According to recent estimates, more than a thousand Somalis are flowing into Dadaab, Kenya, DAILY!